True Love (Hiatus or Discontinuation?)
by everycloudhas
Summary: Inoue Orihime knows she will always love Kurosaki Ichigo. But she wants to be loved in return as well. Maybe it was time, to love 'HIM' back. She knows, without a shadow of a doubt 'HE' loves her. 'HE' has and will always love her. And since Kurosaki-kun has not been treating her as anything other than a friend. Perhaps, it is time to be with the 'ONE' who truly loves her.
1. Chapter 1

(神)

"**WHAT**!?"

The very loud ear-splitting one word shout stopped the three friends dead in their tracks.

"That sounded like Tatsuki." The orange-haired scowling one looked at his friends and commented suspiciously.

The dark-haired friend pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose and returned a look of irritating superiority to his scowling friend.

"That does not only sound like Arisawa-san, it is Arisawa-san, Kurosaki." Ishida Uryuu corrected him sniffy.

Kurosaki Ichigo glared in annoyance at his somewhat related cousin. "Whatever. What do you think she was so angry with?"

"I assume it is not a 'what' but a 'who'." Ishida clarified the matter for Ichigo earning a thumb's up from their mutual giant of a friend.

Ichigo's dark chocolate eyes widened. "Inoue?" He guessed uneasily. Seeing the nod of affirmation from his four-eyed classmate. He exploded, "Then what the hell are we still standing round here for!? Is she in danger!? Where is she!?" Not waiting for an answer. He stood still for a moment trying to sense her reiatsu. He closed his eyes and concentrated with all his might.

"Library." It was not a question but Ishida still answered him. "Library."

And Kurosaki Ichigo was off like a bat out of hell.

Ishida Uryuu looked at the friend still with him.

"When will he realize he treats her as more than a 'friend'?" Ishida asked wearily of the situation Kurosaki and Inoue-san have created for themselves.

Sado Yasutora just answered with a lone stare at Ishida.

(神)

Library etiquette, be damned.

Consideration for others, what's that.

As soon as Ichigo spotted the auburn-haired friend of his, he shouted to get her attention.

"Inoue!"

She looks alright.

Is she fine?

Ignoring all others using the library as a place to silently study in peace, he rushed to her side, "Inoue, are you okay?" He wanted so desperately to touch her just to reassure himself she was fine but that would be pushing their 'friend' status a bit too far, right?

And so he contented himself with an extremely thorough scrutiny of her whole body with his hungry eyes.

When his eyes met hers, she gave him a shy little smile and greeted him softly, "Kurosaki-kun." She placed a finger on her pink lips and nodded to him.

What else could he do but complied to her silent request.

Then Orihime turned to the prim and priggish librarian who she has been apologizing for Tatsuki's loud outburst and now with Ichigo's disturbance to her library, Orihime must double the effort to soothe the grouchy librarian.

"Shisho-san, I am so very sorry. It will not happen again. My friend was just excited over something I told her and," She pointed to Ichigo, "he was just concern as to what might have happen to me. Right, Kurosaki-kun?" Orihime asked Ichigo.

With her pleading with him not to cause any more trouble with those sparkling doe-liked eyes of hers, again what else could he do but,

"Yeah. Sorry, Shisho-san." He apologized grudgingly.

And he was rewarded with a heartwarming smile of hers which like all the others he preserved it within a special place in his heart.

The librarian gave a short snooty snort after giving Ichigo a despising once over.

"One more disturbance and you and your friends will have to leave my library. Do I make myself very clear, Inoue-chan?" She glared icily at the polite princess.

Orihime bowed gratefully and thanked the librarian for being so understanding.

Ichigo and Tatsuki looked at each other when the struck-up librarian walked past the two of them.

"Wasn't she nice?" Orihime smiled innocently her two friends.

"Forget about the prissy hag. Are you all right?" He asked rather loudly in his concern for the gentle healer.

The librarian turned to glare at them. Orihime gave an apologetic smile and bowed. She signalled for her two friends to do the same. Tatsuki gave a shrug and did as she was requested.

Ichigo, on the other hand, has his usual scowl planted on his handsome face. He did not do anything wrong so why should he be bowing to the damned bit...

A soft gentle touch on his back and he bent over like a sunflower finally unable to resist the howling wind.

The librarian gave a snort of sorts and turned away from them with her nose completely in the air, only to bump into the meek giant known as Sado Yasutora.

Startled she moved aside expecting an apology but Sado just gave her a thumb's up and walked away.

"How very rude." She sniffed.

'_Indeed_.' Ishida thought as well but not of his friend but of the one uttering the insult. He walked by her sleathfully and once again, she was caught unaware and she jumped. Ishida suppressed the satisfying grin from appearing on his stoic face.

"Inoue-san, is anything the matter?" Ishida asked her the minute he reached Orihime.

Before Orihime could assure everyone she was fine, Tatsuki has to let everyone know about her hurt feelings.

"Oi! I was the one who shouted. Shouldn't someone has asked me if I was hurt or something?" She lamented about the lack of concern shown to her.

Orihime waved her hands nervously and pleaded with Tatsuki to keep it down. She added compassionately, "Of course, we care. But you are not hurt or... anything?" She seek reassurance from her best friend.

Tatsuki sighed. "Yes, I am fine. It's nice to know at least I have one friend which cares." She sighed again.

"Yeah. Whatever. Now we have established that you are fine and dandy." He scowled at Tatsuki for hindering him from ascertaining if Orihime was alright. Ichigo turned to Orihime, his signature scowl softening as he gazed upon the gentle healer. "Inoue, are you sure you are alright?" He asked in concern as his eyes tried to assure himself, she was.

Orihime started blushing at Ichigo's intensive examination of her body, if it was somebody else, she would have felt uncomfortable at the openly overt ogling. But this was Kurosaki-kun and he was only looking out for her.

She gave him a warm smile of reassurance, "Yes, I am perfectly fine. Just great, Kurosaki-kun." She told him cheerfully.

Tatsuki snorted. "No, she's not."

"Tatsuki-chan ~ "

"What is it, Inoue? You know you can tell me... us anything and I... we will help you in whatever way I... we can." Ichigo felt like a true idiot after he has finished with his cowardly jumbling of the words.

Shakespeare would be so proud of him.

"Inoue-san, as Kurosaki so elegantly put it, you know you can trust us to help you with anything, right?" Ishida decided to help out his dense classmate.

Orihime waved her hands freely and sending Tatsuki a silent plead to keep quiet, she reiterated she was fine.

Tatsuki closed her arms over her chest and ignoring Orihime, she said in a low firm voice,

"She is taking her vows."

"Vows? What kind of vows?" Ichigo asked.

"What do you think? And please keep your voice down." Tatsuki advised Ichigo.

'_Vows_?... _Marriage vows_?!' Ichigo's head screamed out the obvious answer. Remembering to keep his voice down, he said shakily, "Marriage Vows?"

He looked, how should he look, he just looked at Orihime.

It was summer time and a certain pretty girl was blossoming, a red flowery shade tinted her face and like a flower, she was attracting stares,

"No, you idiot. The other type of vows." Tatsuki hissed.

Ichigo turned from staring at Orihime to glare at Tatsuki. His brain was a blank.

"What other type of vows?"

"I think Arisawa-san is talking about the religious one. Am I correct, Arisawa-san? And Kurosaki, do bear in mind to keep your voice down."

"Why does everyone keep asking me to keep my voice..." '_Religious_?! _Vows_?!' Ichigo looked at Orihime with shock when it finally hit him as to why Tatsuki has shouted and,

"**WHAT**?!"

So did he.

(神)


	2. Chapter 2

(神)

"Kurosaki-kun, are you alright?"

Kurosaki Ichigo scowled fiercely at the pretty auburn-haired princess showing her concern for him.

Inoue Orihime in return, timidly continued to look anxiously at his handsome frowning face.

The rest of their friends watched the two brightly-colored heads having the little disagreement of some sorts with much undisguised interest.

How could he be all right when she was leaving him to become one of them!

What the fuck is going on in that pretty head of hers?!

Pretty!

Shit!

The scowling orange-haired one shoved his hands in his pockets in frustration, tried to glare bitterly at the blushing face in front of him, but how could he, when the innocent face in front of him showed nothing but pure worry for him.

And the hot afternoon summer sun was making him downright depressed as well.

They were immediately, 'politely' ushered out of the comfortable cool environment of the library right after Ichigo's shock exclamation.

Now even under the shade of a rather tall Japanese Privet tree, they were feeling the discomfort of the hot humid afternoon heat.

Ichigo pondered cautiously as to how he was going to express his disapproval of one of his closest friend, yes; she was a friend, just a friend, goddammit! Of secluding herself away from them, from... him.

"Inoue, what the hell were you thinking of?! You... You thinking of taking your friggin' vows and becoming a...!" So much for subtlety.

"I believe the word you are trying to say is 'nun', Kurosaki." Ishida Uryuu 'helpfully' supplied the unspoken word.

Ichigo has absolutely no problem at glaring daggers at the know-it-all Quincy.

"She's not going to be one." He just cannot say it and she's not ever going to be, not if he can help it.

"You are right, Ichigo. I will not let Orihime give up living the life as she should be doing, instead of having some sudden pious desire to devote her life and love to someone we don't even know existed or not." Arisawa Tatsuki said angrily.

Orihime waved her hands nervously at her best friend, "Hush, Tatsuki-chan. That's blasphemy." She laced her hands together and placed them in front of her chest. She looked up to the skies and mouthed a sincere apology on the behalf of her non-believing friend.

All of her friends watched her in silent astonishment.

They stared wordlessly at a future heavenly warrior in God's army.

An Angel.

Well, this angel was not ever going to get her wings. He was going to do everything in his power to prevent her from flying off.

They continued to watch Orihime as she ended her apology with a prayer.

_'There. All done.'_ Orihime thought happily to herself.

She turned to her friends, with a blissful smile on her face, only to see all of them looking at her in a funny kind of way.

Their faces all held expression of disbelief and shock.

Expect for Kurosaki-kun, he looked angry.

Why was Kurosaki-kun so angry?

Or was that his normal familiar scowl?

The gentle healer tilted her head slightly and concentrated on gazing fondly at the scowling face.

How long will she get to look at that scowl that, once long ago, she has found it to be so funny?

No.

No. She must not have this kind of earthy feelings.

Not. Anymore.

He is a friend and he will always be her friend.

So...

No regrets.

No more regrets.

She looked to the heavens.

'HE' is waiting for her.

To receive her.

But first, let her continue to gaze fondly upon the one she has loved for so long as she still have the chance to do so.

_'Kurosaki-kun.'_ Orihime sighed dreamily as her misty-eyed gaze wandered back to him.

There was a jolt to her insides when her eyes met his.

She wanted to look away, but she needed to be strong; for the journey ahead and... to give him up.

So she forced herself to look at him, but she could not, it was too much, she was crumbling on the insides due to the intense gaze she was receiving from him.

Her timid soft brown eyes could not understand what the forceful firm brown was trying to tell her.

Her eyes escaped from his stare by moving her gaze to his face.

'_Hmm, why is Kurosaki-kun's face so red?'_ That was what Orihime first thought of when she saw his face in a healthy strawberry red color. Her second thought. _'Hehe. 'Strawberry'.'_ And then, _'Oh my gosh! Is Kurosaki-kun feeling_ _unwell? Has the hot sun gotten to him?'_ She covered her mouth with her small hand. Feeling guilty she has giggled about him earlier, she walked nearer to him.

She was only showing him compassion as a novice-to-be should.

"Kurosaki-kun, are you alright?" She repeated the question she has not gotten an answer for.

Shyly and slowly, her hand reached forward to feel his forehead of any abnormal rise in temperature.

In a sudden unexpected reaction, Ichigo grabbed the small wrist of the gentle healer.

Gently but firmly, he held it within his rough hand.

"Inoue, do you think I am going to be alright when one of my friend is going to throw her life away?"

"But Kurosaki-kun, I am not throwing my life away. I am just going to..." Orihime protested.

"Don't say it. Don't remind me what you are planning to waste the rest of your life on?"

"Kurosaki-kun, why are you so against me becoming a... doing that?" Orihime said wearily.

"I don't think I am the only one, Inoue. Look at Tatsuki. And I bet even though Ishida and Chad have not uttered a word of protest, they are certainly not that keen of you abandoning what you have now in order to become 'that'. Am I right, guys?" He asked his friends to back him up.

And they did.

All of them nodded.

Tatsuki decided to do more to help Ichigo's cause. "For once, I have to agree with this dense idiot in front of witnesses, but Orihime, you know deep inside your heart, he is right this time. You do not know what you are doing."

"Arisawa-san is correct. Kurosaki, for someone who's as foolhardy and impulsive as he is. Even he knows you are rushing into this without careful consideration." Ishida pushed up his glasses up his nose and looked pointedly at Orihime.

"Or have you already thought it through, Inoue-san?"

The auburn-haired princess started to fidget as everyone's stare focus on her. Unable to withstand the stares, she bowed her head, fiddled with her pale fingers and drew with her foot-covered shoe on the grass.

Has she really gave this life changing decision the absolute full deliberation it deserved?

Really thought it out with her mind and heart.

Tatsuki's voice was loud and clear. It pierced through her meditation.

"You are not sure. Are you, Orihime? If this is what you really, really want, then you know I will support you one hundred per cent. But if there is a single shard of doubt in your heart then, stop it. Look at me, Orihime."

Orihime lifted her head to look at her best friend.

"Stop with this foolishness. Stop trying to do what you do not want to. Stop trying to escape from what you really desire more than anything else in this world." Tatsuki appealed passionately to Orihime.

Orihime gazed at her long time friend fondly at her protectiveness of her.

"Tatsuki-chan." She said softly.

Tatsuki gave her a knowing look.

What was she escaping from?

What was her heart's deepest desire?

Instinctively, her eyes led her to her own question.

Her answer.

She found he was looking at her with fiery anger in his eyes.

Startled, she started to asked, "Kurosaki-kun?"

"Tatsuki might be behind you on this ridiculous whim of yours should she deem it as what you really wanted, but if you choose to walk down that path we can never be friends again."

"Kurosaki-kun, why are you doing this to me? You are being so unreasonable."

"I am being unreasonable?! You are the one with this fucking desire to mess up your life and you are calling me, unreasonable?!" Ichigo exploded.

His grip on her small wrist tightened unwittingly.

He was angry.

He was really angry.

He broke his own cardinal rule of not using vulgar words directed at the gentle healer.

Well, there was no going back now.

"And what's all this, about you escaping and your heart's desire? Are you using this to escape what your heart can't get? You are not sure about this, right?" He looked at her straight in the eyes.

Soft and hard brown collided again.

For once, the soft brown eyes held firm their gaze.

"I am sure about this." The voice was soft but strong.

_'Just as I was sure about my love for you. As I am about the love I had for you.'_ Her heart faltered a little as her thoughts about the eternal love she has for Kurosaki-kun, had for him, for it seemed to be already in the past.

Was it to be no more?

Her five lifetimes, one love promise.

Or has she gone through all her lifetimes of love for him, already.

Was it truly time for another love?

"Inoue."

"Kurosaki-kun."

A little warm smile despite all the seriousness.

He was not smiling.

The grip tightened.

"Inoue, what are you escaping from and what is it you hope to find?" He asked almost fearfully.

As if he did not really want to know the answer.

A sad little self-recognition smile appeared on her composed face.

"Love, Kurosaki-kun. Love."

(神)


	3. Chapter 3

_(You are going... You know what, forget it. The numbers; they do not lie, do they? You, dear readers, you have the power to decide the fate of this story and all of my incomplete stories. If you have added this story as a favorite or to follow before the tail end of December and after reading this, should you decide to not re-do the actions. Then I could only come up with the only logical conclusion; this story will be discontinued. Thank you for understanding.)_

(神)

Kurosaki Ichigo stared at Inoue Orihime.

The sad little smile did not leave her blushing composed face.

The scowling protector continued to stare at the blushing princess before he opened his mouth to say something truly extraordinary.

"But why are you seeking love when you already have it?" Ichigo looked intensely at Orihime.

Orihime's cheeks blossomed to a brighter shade of red and her hopeful heart started to increase in its beating of a requited love.

"I-I a-am l-loved?" She stammered out, unbelieving in the turn of events.

Bright shimmering eyes looked at Ichigo and waited for the long-awaited words to reach her ears.

Ichigo nodded, solemnly.

"Of course you are loved, Inoue."

Orihime could not stop the beaming smile from lightening up her joyous face.

Ichigo turned to his three friends, "She is loved, isn't she?"

Ishida Uryuu, Sado Yasutora and Arisawa Tatsuki were all so shocked by the question that they could only nod in unison.

Turning back to the blushing princess whose small wrist was still captured by his hand, he gave her what could be recognized as a satisfied smirk, "See, you are loved, Inoue. Tatsuki, Chad, and even Ishida love you. I... We all love you."

Immediately he noticed the smile disappearing from her sudden blanch face and her eyes were becoming bigger and brighter.

Are those tears?

"Inoue, are you alright?" He pulled the gentle healer closer to him by way of his hand on her tiny wrist.

It was so dainty.

Her small wrist.

So much like everything about her.

And now this delicate beauty standing in front of him looked to be on the verge of shedding tears from those luminous eyes of hers.

His heart felt like it was being squeezed by an invisible fist at this unwanted sight of the princess seemingly in pain.

His stomach strangely, clenched and unclenched uncomfortably.

"Inoue, what's wrong?" He asked, softly, gently.

Orihime gazed sadly upon the one who was causing her the 'wrong' in her life.

She shook her head, slowly, but instead of answering him, to reassure him that nothing was 'wrong'.

A single drop of 'wrong' made its way from her bright eye and cascaded down the flushed smooth surface.

Orihime bit down on her lower lip, hard, to prevent any more tears from escaping.

Ichigo panicked.

"Inoue?!" And he grabbed the princess' shoulders in concern.

Orihime's face was etched in sorrow as Ichigo took in her appearance.

Before the protector could say anything, Tatsuki has had enough of her childhood friend's absolute stupidity and so she smacked him on the back.

Caught unprepared by the force of the hit on him, Ichigo stumbled forward towards the surprised princess. He quickly, instinctively spread his arms and cocooned her in his embrace.

There was a small gasp as the gentle healer suddenly found herself in the arms of the one she has loved for so long.

She knew she should not.

But, she grasped onto this opportunity of being held by her orange-haired scowling protector.

She clenched onto his school uniform and surrendered herself to his comforting warmth.

She will take away the bittersweet memories of the first and last time she will ever be in his arms with no regrets of what she was going to do...

To be.

She has made up her mind and yet, a muffled sigh was heard.

Ichigo held her closer to him upon hearing the lamenting breath.

Why was she so sad?

Was their friendship not comparable to His Love?

"Inoue, you know you can tell me... us anything, okay?"

"No, she can't." And Tatsuki pulled the embracing couple apart.

Ichigo was left to rue the missing warmth of the princess from his body.

He was not happy.

Neither was the weaver princess.

"Tatsuki-chan ~ "

"Oi, Tatsuki... "

Tatsuki glared at the two of them. "Shut up, the two of you!" She turned her full frustrated glare onto Ichigo. She pointed at him. "You are an absolute idiot!"

Ichigo scowled and sputtered. "Hey, Tatsuki. There's no need for insults, right? What did I do anyway?"

"That's precisely why you. are. an. Idiot! Asking us if we knew Orihime was loved. That's not the love the other idiot is hoping to find."

"Tatsuki-chan ~ " Orihime whined at her best friend.

"Oi, Tatsuki. It's bad enough you insulting me, but there's no need for you to do the same with Inoue, right?" The chivalrous protector gallantly defended his chaste princess.

The princess smiled appreciatingly at her protector.

He, in return, gave her his trademark smirk.

And the dragon bellowed.

"Do you want to know the love Orihime is hoping for?"

Orihime became very anxious as to what the angry second strongest girl in Japan was going to disclose. She tugged at her friend's elbow, "Tatsuki-chan, please don't say anything." She pleaded, nervously.

Tatsuki gave her a wary smile, she patted the pale hand on her elbow. "Don't worry. I won't betray your trust." She nodded, reassuringly.

Turning to Ichigo. "You! Orihime is like any other teenage girl. She wants to be ask to go on dates with the one she has secretly liked, fall in love and be loved back, romantically of course. She wants the flowers, the ring, the proposal, the wedding, the honeymoon, she wants to give herself wholly to her husband, the man she loves; her heart, her soul, her body, her ... "

"Tatsuki-chan!" The mortified princess shouted at her carried-away best friend.

"What, Orihime?" She looked at the redness on her friend's face. "Oh, sorry. I guess I was rambling on about your desires, eh?" She gave a somewhat embarrassed, apologetic grin at Orihime.

Orihime covered her flustered red face with her shaking hands.

This was so humiliating.

She wondered what her other friends were thinking about now.

What did they thought of her?

What does he think of her now?

The long drawn-out silence was killing her.

Somebody coughed.

Most probably Ishida, trying to break the silence.

Taking the pretend cough as a hint to say something, Tatsuki decided to say something, anything.

She turned to face her best friend who was still covering her heated blushing face with her pale hands.

She placed a comforting hand on the small shaking shoulder, "Orihime, don't you at least want to go on a date first before committing to a life of celibacy. Enjoy life as a normal teenage girl with no funny business as to what the orange-haired scowling idiot has pulled you into."

"Oi, Tatsuki! Stop calling me that!" Ichigo interrupted her to protest about his intelligence being insulted.

Tatsuki blatantly ignored him. "So, Orihime, do you think you have time to go on a date before you give up on life?"

The shy princess peeked at her friend from between her slightly apart fingers.

Big bright brown eyes sparkled eagerly at Tatsuki.

"I will take that as a yes. There's no time to wait for a boy to ask you out. So, I will pick a date for you. Who do I think will treat you like a princess on your first and probably last date?" Tatsuki appeared to be taking her role as a importau matchmaker rather seriously. She made a show of pondering about the potential candidates right before her.

Her eyes fixed themselves steely on the three male friends.

The three of them looked back at the black-haired classmate with contrasting expressions on their faces and for one hopeful? individual, he hoped what he was feeling was not reflected on his face.

Orihime peeked at Ichigo. He looked kind of... 'constipated'. Was going out with her on a date so terrifying for him? Did he never even consider her as anything else other than a healer?

Oh, heavens! She is a girl; a rather desirable girl if what Tatsuki-chan has been telling her was true, then why would Kurosaki-kun be looking like he needed to use the 'little boy's room' most urgently?

(神)

_(Remember, you have the wand in your hand, the magic begins and ends with you.)_

_(I will try to do updates, short updates for all of my stories. There really is no point in doing long updates if everyone is not interested in them anymore.)_

_(Thank you for taking an interest in this story, once, not too long ago.)_

_(And sorry for sounding so depressed, I guess I am just pretty worried about my trip to the hospital on Monday. I am expecting the worse but still hoping for the best. Best of what? I do not honestly know. So... if I should really go AWOL, then you know the reason.)_


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